Article marking



y 1958 J. D. VAN BUSKIRK 2,834,284

ARTICLE MARKING 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Nov. 14, 1952 m. w m

(fair? B V&/? Buskm BY Q r I E ATTORNEYS y 1953 J. D. VAN BUSKIRK 2,834,284

ARTICLE MARKING 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed NOV. 14, 1952 IN VENTOR BY A ATTORNEYS @2 n .r RN W I :l 1 m: i 7 W r J wm mm 7 2: E NU 1 Q h n wm mm 0% NF w m @m 8 United States Patent F ARTICLE MARKING John D. Van Buskirk, Southport, Conn., assignor to'Van Buskirk & Company, Inc., Bridgeport, Conn., a corporation of Connecticut Application November 14, 1952, Serial No. 320,463 IZ'Claims. (Cl. 101-35) This invention relates to printing,'and more particularly to improved apparatus for printing a mark onthe surface of each of a series of articles such as packages, boxes, cartons, and the like.

In the'packaging of bulk merchandise in shelf packages for release into commercial channels, for example, it is frequently found that the printing of identifying labels on the containers used would be most readily and economically eiiected as one of the last steps in the packaging process. This is especially the case where a large variety of sizes and shapes of packages is being used, and where the type or size of package employed for any single commodity may have to be variedfrom time to time. If the boxes as manufactured or purchased are complete as to labeling of contents, weights, etc. it can be seen that an extremely large inventory of boxes would be required to take care of all possibilities. However, if it were possible to apply certain critical elements of the box marking at the time of. filling the box, the number of boxes required on hand of any particular size or shape could be greatly reduced, and losses from unused boxes due to improper labeling could be discontinued.

Heretofore there have been available, .marking devices which could place a code mark or other functional indicia on an article such as a filledbox or carton, but these have been designed primarily for large quantity production lines where uniform containers are being handled, and hence were incapable either of the flexibility necessary to handle readily a variety of different sized and shaped containers, or of making a suitably refined imprint properly centered and located on packages of various sizes and shapes in harmony with other printing or decoration already present on the package and without detriment to its trade dress.

The present invention has for its object the provision of a device for printing on boxes, packages or other articles which is arranged to be readily settable to accommodate packages of awide range of. sizes and shapes within the range for which the device is constructed and to make a finished imprint thereon at any desiredlocation to register and harmonize imprinting quality with the decoration, if any, previously appearing on the article.

Another object of the invention relates to the printing of indicia on the sides of a series of like articles moving beside a printing drum of a given 'fixed diameter, and is to provide for the accurate location of the printing at a desired point on the article side even though the series may consist of articles of one size upon one occasion andof another size upon another. According to the invention this object is effected by locking the printing drum at a predetermined indexed position of rotation which will properly determine the relationship of the printing indicia to the article side for the particular size article being printed, unlocking the drum just as each articlemakes contact therewith to'starta' printing operation, and then, between article contacts, rotating the drumfrom whatever. position it is found in after a printed article leaves. it, to the lockeclposition ready for another 2 ,834,284- Patented May 13, 1958 2 printing operation. Themethod for effecting this object may further include the bringing'about'of the movement of the printing drum tolockedxposition by relating the operation directly to the approach of an article about to be printed.

It is still another object of the invention to provide a printing machine having a printing drum which rotates in contact with the surface of the article being printed, and which may accordingly rotate through various angles depending upon the length ofthe drum contacting side, but in which means is provided for surely, accurately and rapidly returning the drum .to .a predetermined starting position between articles.

It is a feature of the present invention that the presetting of the printing drum is'accomplished ineach case by a mechanism operated. byscontact with the article about to be printed.

Still another feature of -the invention is the ready settability of the positionof the printing drum both axially and angularly about its axis to provide for accurate control of'the location of the mark on the article.

A further'feature of the invention is the provision of guides and a printing head on opposite sides of an article conveyorsoarranged as to be simultaneously adjustable towards or away from the conveyor so that rapid adjustment for printing articles of various sizes can be made, the articlesibeing maintained inaccurately centered position on the conveyor.

Additional features and advantages will hereinafter appear.

In the accompanying drawing:

Figure l is .a plan of the machine of this invention with a portion of the top .guide and one of the printing heads broken awaytto illustrate the parts in detail.

Fig. 2 is a side elevation of'the device shown in Fig. l with portions of the support members broken away to illustrate the structure more clearly.

Fig. 3 is a detail section taken substantially on line 3--3 of Fig. 2.

Fig. 4 is a detail section through the inking roller, drawn to a slightly larger scale and showing the mounting thereof. 7

Referring to the drawing, numeral 10 indicates a table along which the packages or boxes 11 to be printed are propelled. The movement of the package is brought about by means of a conveyor 12 which includes a continuously moving chain 14 carried by suitable sprockets, one of which isshown in Fig. 2 and identified by ref- 1 erence character16. 'The sprocket 16 may be driven by a suitable source of power e. g. a motor 18 and transmission belt 20. Spaced pushers '22 are provided on the conveyor'chain 1'4 andextend upwardly through a slot '24 in the table 10 to engage the packages and propel them past the printing position. Each pusher is associated with a cross bar '26 connected thereto and designed to ride with its ends. in guide tracks- 28 and 30 while the'associated pusher .is-on the upper reach of'the chain 14 in package contacting position, thus holding the pusher in a true central and vertical position.

At opposite sides ofthe slot 24 andextending substantially the length thereof against the upper surface of the table 10 are-guide bars 32, 34 which engage the sides of a package near itsbase and help to guide the same past the printing position. 'The bars 32, 34 are each connected by vertical"posts36 to an actuating bar '38, both of said actuating bars being slidable on horizontal guides 40.. A screw 42 mounted for rotation but fixed against axial motion has oppositely threaded end portions 44 and 46 which engage-in correspondingly threaded nuts 48 and '50 afiixed to the actuating bars '38. 'By means of a hand wheel 52 on one endof-the screw, the'latter may be rotated inone direction to-'draw;.the-guidebars 32, 34

parallel to each other, towards each other and towards the centerline of the conveyor 12, or in the opposite direction to cause the guide bars 32, 34 to move parallel to each other, apart, and away from the centerline of the conveyor 12.

An adjustable top guide 54 is carried by a pair of supports 56, 56 upon which it is vertically adjustable, e. g. by means of set screws 57, to accommodate packages of different heights. Additional short side guides 58 for the packages are provided, one on each side and in staggered relationship. These are vertically aligned one with each of the guide bars 32, 34 and are rigidly connected thereto for adjusting movement therewith. They are preferably also made vertically adjustable in a manner and for a purpose which will subsequently appear.

Mounted on each of the guide bars 32, 34 and positioned opposite that side guide 58 which is on the other guide bar, is a printing head 60 which serves to mark one side of a package 11 as it is carried between guide bars 32, 34 by a pusher member 22 of the conveyor 12. Each printing head 60 is preferably connected to a head support 62 by means of a pair of horizontal threaded rods 64 which pass through the support and are adjustably clamped thereto by a pair of nuts 66. The support 62, in turn, is also preferably carried by a pair of vertical threaded rods 68 which pass through it, together with pairs of clamp nuts 70 which make the support 62 fast in any desired vertical position on the rods 68. The rods 68 are, in each case, rigidly affixed to the adjacent guide bar 32 or 34.

From the foregoing description it can be seen that the printing head 60 and hence its printing height on the package 11 can be vertically adjusted by means of nuts 70. In order to produce clear, accurate images it is preferred that the print be correctly backed up directly opposite the pressure center during printing. The side guides 58 are accordingly made vertically adjustable, for example, by being slidable on vertical posts 72 affixed to guide bars 32, 34 and clampable thereon at any desired height by set screws 74. The side guides 58, therefore, are settable to directly oppose the printing action of the printing heads 60 and thus provide images of good quality on the faces of the boxes.

Each printing head 60 comprises a framework including a base plate 76, a cap plate 78 and a pair of side members 80, the latter each being rigidly connected with one end of one of the horizontal threaded rods 64 previously described. A printing drum support shaft 82 is rotatably mounted in plates 76, 78 and has mounted thereon a sleeve 34 which is integral with a printing drum 86 and may be clamped to the shaft 82 in any desired rotated position by means of a set screw 88. The printing drum includes a covering of grooved rubber sheeting 90 of known kind designed to frictionally grip and hold types or printing members such as type 92 of various sizes and shapes at selected positions on its surface. Hinged to the frame of the printing head 60 is an inker arm 94 which carries an absorptive roller 96 mounted on a spindle 98 which is rotatably supported in and readily removable from a bearing 99 at the free end of the arm 94, and which extends parallel to shaft 82. A spring 100 urges the inker arm 94 and hence the roller 96 towards the printing drum 6!). A stop consisting of a screw 192 is positioned so as to limit the swinging of the arm 94 towards the printing drum 60, and may be adjusted so that the surface of the inking roller 96 will firmly engage the surface of the type 92 but will be held clear of the vacant areas on the inker drum which are unoccupied by type. A jam nut 104 may be applied to the screw 102 to insure the retention of the proper setting once arrived at. The absorptive body of the roller 96 is charged with a suitable fluid ink from time to time to insure proper inking of the type 92, and this may be conveniently accomplished by lifting the roller from its bearing 99.

The printing drum 60 also carries at its upper and lower peripheries, tires 106 of friction material, such as rubber, whose surfaces lie in the same cylindrical surface as the faces of type 92, or possibly on a cylindrical surface of slightly smaller diameter. The tires 106 serve to bring about the rotation of the printing drum by contact with a package being carried along by the conveyor 12, and the appropriate degree of contact with the package for this purpose may be adjusted by means of the clamp nuts 66 on the horizontal threaded rods 64.

The machine of the present invention is capable of printing indicia at a location on a package which may be very accurately predetermined, and to this end the printing drum 86 has a predetermined rest or indexed position. This position is determined by a cam and locking wheel 108 which is substantially circular in outline but has a single V-shaped notch 110 in its periphery. The wheel 108 is rigidly secured to the drum shaft 82 and cooperates with a stop member or dog 112 which projects from a control lever 114 rockable about the axis of a shaft 116 upon which it is supported between the base and cap plates 76 and 73. A spring 118 urges the lever 114 in a direction to cause the dog 112 to engage with the periphery of wheel 108, or to project the dog into the notch 110 when the latter is presented in the proper angular position.

The control lever 114, at the other side of the shaft 116 from the dog 112, is provided at its end with a notch or recess 120 in which is rotatably mounted a drum 122 aifixed to a shaft 124. The drum 122 may be referred to as an indexing drive drum and is provided with a suitable friction covering 126 of rubber or the like. The parts of the device are so proportioned that when the dog 112 is in the notch 110 of wheel 108, the indexing drum is positioned to be out of contact with the side of a package moving along the conveyor and against the adjacent guide bar 32 or 34, but when the dog 112 rests against the periphery of the wheel 198, then the lever 114 is swung to a position such that the indexing drum 122 is flush with the adjacent guide bar 32 or 34, or perhaps extends beyond the same and very slightly into the conveyor guideway to make firm frictional contact with the side of a package 11 being moved therethrough. In the form of the invention shown the dog 112 is mounted slidably in an upright 128 which is a rigid extension of the control lever 114, and its position is fixed by means of a set screw 130 so that the corresponding position of the indexing drum 122 for the desired amount of package contact when the dog 112 is against the periphery of wheel 108 can be exactly set.

The purpose of the indexing drum 122 is to rotate the printing drum rapidly to its locked or indexed position between printing operations, and to this end the shaft 124 carries a drive sprocket 132. On shaft 116 are rotatably mounted a pair of drivingly connected idler sprockets 134, 136, and on the printing drum shaft 82 is a driven sprocket 138. A chain drivingly connects sprockets 132 and 134, while another chain 142 drivingly connects sprockets 136 and 138. It can thus be seen that when the indexing drum 122 is in contact with the side of a moving package 11, the indexing drum rotation thus induced causes the printing drum 86 to rotate in the same direction but the ratios are such that the printing drum 86 rotates much more rapidly than it does when its rotation is caused directly by contact with the surface of a package 11.

When an approaching package 11 is about to be printed, the printing drum 86 must be unlocked to permit it to rotate in contact with the package, and this is accomplished by a trip lever 144 pivoted on the base plate and having a feeler arm 146 lying adjacent the periphery of the drum and normally projecting over and slightly beyond the guide bar 32 or 34, into the conveyor guideway. The feeler arm 146 is so placed and dimensioned that when contacted by a package in the conveyor guideway it will complete its throw to a position flush'with the edge of the guide bar 32 or 34 just as, or a fraction of an instant before, the leading corner of the package 11 comes into contact with the tires 106. The lever 144 also has an operating arm 148 carrying a pin 150- which extends into the path of an adjustable tappet 152 on the control lever 114 adjacent to the mounting for the dog 112. Thus the lever 144 is designed, by contact of its feeler arm with an approaching package 11, to release the dog 112 from the notch 110 of locking wheel 108 against the force of spring 118 a fraction of an instant before the leading corner of the package 11 comes into contact with the tire 106 and before it starts to drive the printing drum. This timing of movements can be accurately set by regulating the length of the tappet 152, so that the degree of extension of the feeler arm 146 into the guideway of the conveyor will correspond exactly to a throw of lever 144 just 'isufli'cient to bring the dog 112 out of the notch 110 and to a position to ride smoothly on the periphery of locking wheel 108. The movement of trip lever 144, of course, also actuates the control lever 114 and readies the indexing mechanism for operation at the same time that it releases the printing drum 86 for movement.

To insure that the printing drum '86 remains stationary and properly indexed during the fraction of an instant between the time when it begins to be unlocked and the time when the package 11 touches the tire 106, there is provided a detent means in the form of a notched wheel 154 fixed on the shaft 82 and cooperating therewith a pawl 156 which is urged into the notch of the wheel by a spring 158. The arrangement is such that the printing drum 86 is prevented from turning in a reverse direction, and is permitted 'to'turn in a printing direction, but is lightly although significantly, restrained by friction from doing so while "the pawl 156 is in the notch of the wheel 154.

In the operation of the machine of this invention, the hand wheel 52 is turned to bring the 'guide bars 32, 34, to the proper spacing for the thickness of the package to be printed, andthe top guide5'4 is adjusted to the package height. The type 92, suited to theprinting job desired, is selected and is frictionally attached by forcing its cooperating base members into the grooves of the covering 90on the printing drum 86 ina known manner. The type may be placed at any desired height on the drum 86 to correspond to the desired printing height on the package, or, if greater refinement of placement is needed than is furnished by the spacing of the type receiving grooves, or if adjustment beyond that provided'for by the drum height is required, the height adjustment may be completed by setting thesupport 62 :at'the required elevation using clamp screws 70 on'rods 68..

The location of the type as to its'c'enterin'g or other predetermined placement along the'side of the box being printed can be set by placing the printing drum in locked or indexed position and then determining the peripheral distance from the contact point'that the type should be placed, equal to the corresponding distance along the box side measured from the leading edge. A few actual printing trials can then be made and the position of the type refined if necessary by loosening the set screw 88 and making a slight adjustment of the angular position of the drum on its shaft 82. a

In order to properly back up the printing to produce the best results, the set screws 74 should be loosened and the side guides 58 raised or lowered to correspond with the center of pressure of the type 92 on the drum 86. Assuming then that all otherparts are in normal adjustment, and ink has been supplied to the inking roller '96, the machine is ready for printing operation.

The conveyor 12 is then started, 'and'packages or boxes 11 to be marked are introduced, one ahead of'each pusher 22. As the first box approaches the printing head 60 it engages and rotates the indexing drum 122 which'rapi'dly rotates the printing drum 3-5 to indexed position ready for printing. When the indexed position of the printing drum is reached, the dog 112 drops into the notch in locking wheel 108 and thus simultaneously locks the printing drum and allows the spring 118 to withdraw the indexing drum away from the surface of the package 11 to disabled condition so that it undergoes no sliding contact with the indexing drum.

The package 11 then approaches the feeler arm 146 of the trip lever 144 and upon striking the same causes the operating arm 148 to release the dog 11-2 and permit the printing drum 86 to turn. Almost at the same instant the leading edge of the package 11 engages one orboth of the tires 106 on the printing drum and start a printing operation. Also, at the same time that the drum is unlocked, the indexing mechanism is cocked or activated and made ready for the next package. The package 11 is moved past the printing drum 86 by the pusher '22 and finally leaves the drum in some undetermined rotative position with the type 92 probably positioned somewhere between the departure point of the package 11 and the inking roller 96.

As the next package 11 comes into position it rotates the activated indexing drum 122, consequently rotating the printing drum 86 as before so that the type 92 is 'inked and then the. printing drum is brought to indexed position ready for printing. The printing operation thereafter proceeds as previously described, and is continuously repeated with each succeeding package 11.

If for any reason there is an interruption in the machine operation it will be seen that the last packageto be printed will very likely leave the type 92 in position to be inked, and that the type Will be inked immedi ately prior to the printing operation so that the first package of the subsequent run will receive a proper printmg.

The device has been shown as including two printing heads 60, one for printing each side of the package as it is moved along by the conveyor 12. It will be understood, however, that if only a single marking is desired at each pass, an arrangement using only a single printing head 60 could be employed. Furthermore, the positioning of the printing head need not be limited to the positions shown in the drawing, for the device is capable of operating in any position and could be mounted, for example, to print on the top surface of the packages 11 without detriment to its operation provided the inking roller 96 were firmly secured on its arm 94 in any convenient fashion.

Upon careful consideration of the structure of the machine described in detail above, the same will be recognized as characterized by and embodying certain novel method operations and steps which distinguish it clearly from devices using previous methods of marking on packages by means of rotary printing drums. Particularly important are the steps of locking the printing drum in indexed position, unlocking it for rotation just as the package to be printed makes initial contact, rotating the drum back to indexed position again after the printed package has left, especially at a high speed, and conducting the last mentioned step as an incident to and in response to the approach of the next package to be printed.

It will be noted that the printing drum of the present invention has its axis substantially fixed with respect to the conveyor or to the path of the package being marked during any particular series of marking operat ons on one size of package. This position can, or course, be adjusted to suit different sizes of packages, and may also vary slightly by reason of the quality of give which may be either inherent or especially provided in the equipment for accommodating printing pressures, but for convenience it will be described hereinafter as a J substantially fixed position, with the above significance attaching to this language.

From the foregoing description it can be seen that a novel package printing method and mechanism have been devised which are capable not only of ready and easy adaptation to printing in various predetermined 1. A marking device of the class described comprising a cylindrical indicia-bearing marking drum arranged to be frictionally rotated by an article passing by the same to be marked; means to ink the indicia as the drum rotates; means for locking said marking drum in a predetermined indexed position; and means for unlocking the drum to permit printing rotation thereof including a feeler arm at the point of contact between the article and the drum engageable by an article as it comes into contact with the printing drum; and means activated by the operation of said feeler arm by one article and driven by contact with a subsequent article to rotate the printing drum to locked position after the printing of the one article is completed and before the printing of the next article begins.

2. A marking device adapted for marking at a preselected one of various locations on a series of fiat-sided articles of a predetermined size selected from a variety of sizes, which comprises a guideway and means for progressing a succession of articles therealong; a printing head mounted adjacent the guideway including a rotatably mounted printing drum positioned for rolling printing contact with a surface of an article in the guideway; printing indicia carried on the surface of said printing drum; means for holding the printing drum in a predetermined angular position about its axis; means including a drum in contact with the next article to be printed for moving the printing drum to said held position prior to printing drum contact with each article; and means to release the printing drum for free rotation substantially simultaneously with contact of the article with the printing drum.

3. A marking device adapted for marking at a preselected one of various locations on a series of flat-sided articles of a predetermined size selected from a variety of sizes, which comprises a guideway including a pair of guide bars and means for progressing a succession of articles along said guideway'between said bars; means to adjust said guide bars laterally simultaneously towards and away from said progressing means to accommodate the thickness of the articles being printed; a printing head mounted on one of said guide bars for adjusting movement therewith and including a printing drum mounted on a rotatable shaft and positioned for rolling printing contact with a surface of an article in the guideway; printing indicia carried on the surface of said printing drum; means to adjust the printing head position in a direction parallel to the printing drum axis to bring the same into registration with the preselected printing location on the article in one direction; means for holding the printing drum shaft in a predetermined angular position about its axis; means for moving the printing drum shaft to said held position prior to printing drum contact with each article; means to release the printing drum shaft for free rotation substantially simultancously with contact of the article with the printing drum; and means for adjusting the angular relation between said printing indicia and said printing drum shaft so as to position the print exactly at the desired location along the side of the article being printed.

4. For an article marking machine, a marking head,

comprising a frame, a printing drum, including a friction driving tire, rotatable on a fixed axis on the frame for printing on an article passing the drum with said tire in rotary contact with the article, printing type on said drum; means firmly connecting said type to said drum for printing rotation therewith, but also afi'ording ready adjustment of said type to any desired angular printing position about the drum axis; a locking wheel rotating coordinately with said drum, and having a notch defining a locked position of the drum; a movable dog engageable in said notch to hold said drum in said locked position; release means, including a package feeler, movably mounted on said frame in a position to be contacted and moved by an article passing the drum and to remain in contact with such article while it passes the drum, said feeler being operatively associated with said dog for withdrawing the same from said notch when the feeler is engaged and moved by an article; and means carried by the frame for rotating said drum to locked position prior to each printing operation.

5. For an article marking machine, a marking head comprising a frame, a printing drum, including a friction driving tire, rotatable on the frame for printing on an article passing the drum with said tire in rotary contact with the article, printing type on said drum; means firmly connecting said type to said drum for printing rotation therewith, but also affording ready adjustment of said type to any desired angular printing position about the drum axis; a locking wheel rotating coordinately with said drum, and having a notch defining a locked position of the drum; a movable dog engageable in said notch to hold said drum in said locked position; release means, including an article feeler, movably mounted on said frame and engageable with said dog for withdrawing the same from said notch when the feeler is engaged and moved by an article; an indexing drum rotatable on said frame and positioned to be rotated by frictional engagement with an article passing the marking head; and drive means connecting the indexing drum and the printing drum for rotating the latter in response to rotation of the former.

6. For an article marking machine, a marking head comprising a frame, a printing drum, including a friction driving tire, and rotatable on the frame for printing on an article passing the drum with said tire in rotary contact with the article, printing type on said drum; means firmly connecting said type to said drum for printing rotation therewith, but also affording ready adjustment of said type to any desired angular printing position about the drum axis; a locking wheel rotating coordinately with said drum, and having a notch defining a locked position of the drum; a control lever pivoted on the frame for swinging movement between two positions; a dog carried by said control lever and in the first position thereof engageable in said notch to hold said drum in said locked position and in the second position of said control lever released from said notch to permit rotation of said printing drum; a release means including an article feeler movably mounted on said frame and engageable with said control lever for swinging the same to said second position when the feeler is engaged and moved by an article; said control lever being held in said second position by the locking wheel periphery when the printing drum is rotated to remove said notch from register with said dog; means normally urging said control lever toward said first position; an indexing drum rotatably mounted on said control lever at an end thereof and in position to be rotated by frictional engagement with an article passing the marking head when the control lever is in said second position and to be free of article contact when the control lever is in said first position; and drive means associated with said control lever and connecting said indexing drum and said printing drum for rotating the latter in response to rotation of the former.

7. A marking device adapted for marking at preselected ones of various locations on a series of flat-sided articles of a predetermined size selected from a variety of sizes, which comprises a iideway including a pair of guide bars and means for progressing a succession of articles along said guideway between said bars; means to adjust said guide bars laterally simultaneously towards and away from said progressing means to accommodate the thickness of the articles being printed; a first printing head carried by one of said guide bars for adjusting movement therewith and arranged to print on that side of the article which slides in contact with said one of the guide bars; a second printing head carried by the other of said guide bars for adjusting movement therewith and arranged to print on that side of the article which slides in contact with said other guide bar, said printing heads being otfset from one another to print at different times as the article is moved by said progressing means; and a back-up guide carried by each of said guide bars for adjusting movement therewith and positioned directly opposite the printing head on that guide bar by which the back-up guide is not carried to have sliding contact with the article at the same time that the opposite printing head is printing.

8. A marking device adapted for marking at preselected ones of various locations on a series of fiat-sided articles of a predetermined size selected from a variety of sizes, which comprises a guideway including a pair of guide bars and means for progressing a succession of articles along said guideway between said bars; means to adjust said guide bars laterally simultaneously towards and away from said progressing means to accommodate the thickness of the articles being printed; a first printing head carried by one of said guide bars for adjusting movement therewith and arranged to print on that side of the article which slides in contact with said one of the guide bars; a second printing head carried by the other of said guide bars for adjusting movement therewith and arranged to print on that side of the article which slides in contact with said other guide bar, said printing heads being oifset from one another to print at different times as the article is moved by said progressing means; means for mounting each of said printing heads on its guide bar for individual vertical adjustment so as to print at any desired height on the passing article; a back-up guide carried by each of said guide bars for adjusting movement therewith and positioned directly opposite the printing head on the other guide bar; and means for mounting each of said back-up guides on its guide bar for individual vertical adjustment whereby each back-up guide may be positioned to correspond to the height of the opposite printing head.

9. A marking machine for marking articles of various lengths comprising a cylindrical indicia-bearing marking drum arranged on a substantially fixed axis positioned so that the drum will be frictionally rotated by an article passing the same, said drum being normally free to rotate for marking purposes purely in response to driving by the article; means for locking said drum in a predetermined indexed position until the approach of an article; means for unlocking the drum and holding it unlocked for free rotation while the article is in contact with the same; means operative only after the marked article has cleared the drum for driving the drum rapidly as far as necessary to reach indexed position regardless of the angular distance which the drum has been driven by the article; and means for disabling said driving means and relocking said drum in response to said drums reattaining said predetermined indexed position.

10. A marking machine for marking articles of various lengths comprising a cylindrical indicia-bearing marking drum arranged on a substantially fixed axis positioned so that the drum will be frictionally rotated by an article passing the same, said drum being normally free to rotate for marking purposes purely in response to driving by the article; means for locking said drum in a predetermined indexed position until the approach of an article; means for unlocking the drum and holding it unlocked for free rotation while the article is in contact with the same; and means powered by an approaching article operative only after the marked article has cleared the drum for driving the drum rapidly as far as necessary to reach indexed position regardless of the angular distance which the drum has been driven by the article.

11. A marking device adapted for marking on a series of fiat-sided articles of a predetermined size selected from a variety of sizes, which comprises a guideway including a pair of guide bars and means for progressing a succession of articles along said guideway between said guide bars; means to adjust said guide bars laterally and simultaneously towards and away from the center of said progressing means to accommodate the thickness of the articles of the selected size; and a printing head mounted on one of said guide bars for adjusting movement therewith, said printing head being adapted for marking articles of various lengths and comprising a cylindrical indicia-bearing marking drum arranged on an axis substantially fixed with respect to its guide bar and positioned so that the drum will project barely beyond said guide bar and be frictionally rotated by an article passing the same, said drum being normally free to rotate for printing purposes purely in response to driving by the article; means for locking said drum in a predetermined indexed position until the approach of an article; means for unlocking the drum and holding it unlocked for free rotation while the article is in contact with the same; means operative only after the marked article has cleared the drum for driving the drum rapidly as far as necessary to reach indexed position regardless of the angular distance which the drum has been driven by the article; and means for disabling said driving means and relocking said drum in response to said drums reattaining said predetermined indexed position.

12. A marking machine of the class described comprising a cylindrical indicia-bearing marking drum arranged to be frictionally rotated by an article passing the same to be marked; means to ink the indicia as the drum rotates; means for locking said marking drum in a predetermined indexed position; means other than the friction contact with the article being printed for driving said printing drum, said last named means being activatable and disableable; a feeler arm engageable and moveable by an article as it approaches driving contact with said drum and maintainable in moved position thereby as the article passes the drum; means controlled by movement of said feeler arm for operating said locking means to unlock said drum and for activating said driving means; means rotatable with said drum for holding said driving means activated at least until the drum again reaches indexed position and for then disabling the same unless the feeler arm remains in moved position.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,616,101 Ackley Feb. 1, 1927 1,845,726 Scott Feb. 16, 1932 2,064,793 Griggs Dec. 30, 1936 2,109,590 Kimball Mar. 1, 1938 2,130,898 Ogden Sept. 20, 1938 2,172,318 Ferguson Sept. 5, 1939 2,195,135 Serai Mar. 26, 1940 2,425,249 Lacy-Hulbert Aug. 5, 1947 2,592,588 Gottscho et a1 Aug. 15, 1952 2,632,383 Gottscho et al Mar. 24, 1953 2,636,436 Mann Apr. 28, 1953 2,674,939 Brengman Apr. 13, 1954 

